Balloons and unidentified flying objects – the chronology of the US sky espionage affair “The young have discovered luxury”

For days, ominous flying objects over North America have presented the United States and the world with new puzzles. So far, five objects have surfaced, four of which were shot down by US fighter jets. And now China also reports an unknown flying object in its airspace.

The chronology of events:

Spy balloon, China

discovers: January 28, 2023
shot down: February 4, 2023
Place: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

In late January, the US military spotted a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the US state of Montana in the northwestern US. After days of observation, the US government finally decided to shoot it down. An F-22 from the United States Air Force’s 149th Fighter Squadron struck.

The balloon flew at an altitude of about 18 kilometers and therefore did not pose a threat to civil aviation. It was about 200 feet (61 m) tall and probably weighed as much as a small plane, said U.S. General Glen VanHerck. After the shooting, China resolutely rejected accusations of US espionage and spoke of a research bubble that had gone off course due to “force majeure”. The launch was a “clearly overreaction”.

Spy balloon, China

discovers: February 2, 2023
Place: Costa Rica/Colombia/Venezuela

Even before the spy balloon was launched in the US, another balloon was sighted in Central and South America. Although China immediately admitted that this balloon also came from the People’s Republic, the intended flight path was different. The balloon, which they said was mainly intended for civil weather studies, deviated from its original course due to a lack of controllability. China apologized to Costa Rica for the overflight.

unknown object

discovers: February 9, 2023
shot down: February 10, 2023
Place: Dead horse, Alaska

Barely a week after the completion of South Carolina’s first Chinese spy balloon, another “flying object” entered US airspace in Alaska. This time the US did not hesitate and shot down the missile, which had climbed to a height of about 12 kilometers, thus interfering with civil aviation. The object was “much, much smaller than the spy balloon we shot down last Saturday — about the size of a small car,” said John Kirby, director of communications for the National Security Council.

It is unclear whether there is any connection with the Chinese balloon that was allegedly used for espionage purposes and was taken down a week earlier. In any case, the US government has not provided any information about the possible origin of the new flying object. “I want to reiterate that we don’t know who owns this property,” Kirby said. The US government is now hoping for more information by recovering the rubble. However, this is probably difficult because the object fell on frozen sea ice.

unknown object

discovers: February 11, 2023
shot down: February 11, 2023
Place: Yukon, Canada

Just a day later, a US F-22 fighter jet shot down the next mysterious flying object over Canada’s Yukon province, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Saturday. The North American Air Defense Command Norad had been watching it closely before. It had a “cylindrical shape”, was silvery and traveled at an altitude of eight miles.

Also in this case it is still unclear where the flying object came from and what purpose it served. According to leading US Democrat Chuck Schumer, the two most recent flying objects shot down over North America are likely balloons, “but much smaller than the first,” Schumer said. Norad executive Glen VanHerck dismissed this: “I won’t classify them as balloons — we don’t call them ‘objects’ for nothing.”

unknown object

discovers: February 11, 2023
shot down: February 12, 2023
Place: Lake Huron, US-Canada border

Another day later, an unknown flying object was shot down for the third time in three days. On the orders of President Joe Biden, an F-16 fighter jet shot down an octagonal missile over Lake Huron near the U.S.-Canada border, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said. It was not classified as a military threat, but as a civil aviation security risk and an object with potential surveillance capability.

The object was first seen over Montana near sensitive military installations on Friday, prompting an airspace closure. It appeared to have an octagonal structure, with cords hanging down, but no apparent cargo, a US official said. The object was located at an altitude of about six kilometers. It is currently unclear if it was also a balloon.

unknown object

discovers: February 12, 2023
Place: Rizhao, Shandong Province, China

According to a media report, China is now also preparing to shoot down an unknown flying object. As the daily “Global Times” reported, citing a local shipping authority, the mysterious flying object was sighted off the waters of Rizhao city near Jianggezhuang naval base on Sunday. A message urged fishermen to pay extra attention to their safety.

At first there was no further information about which flying object it was. The news was the most talked about social media topic in China on Sunday night, with several million users on the Weibo platform alone clicking on the corresponding hashtag within hours. (for)